How do they make stuff?

[The Man]

Mechanical engineers have a similar feeling when they observe just about any kind of physical object: a computer mouse, carpet, vehicle, light bulbs, etc. They have an intuitive feeling of the small, discrete, logical steps needed to construct an object in it's final form.

Back when I was working in an engineering lab there was a cartoon that would show up in some of the publication from time to time. It started with “What the customer wanted” and a drawing clearly of an unpowered push lawnmower. Then came something like “What drafting drew up” and the image of powered push mower. Then something like “What marketing wants to sell” and a riding mower. Further down the line with other inputs and changes, eventually it ends with “What was made” and the drawing of a helicopter. I generally think back to that, rather than small logical steps, when I see a lot of things.

Having worked in production for almost 40 years I’ve see a lot of things made a lot of different ways. So I never really try to figure how it was made until I have to take it apart and then I generally just go “Why the **** did then make it like this”?!?!?

 

[jimbob]

Having worked in production for almost 40 years I’ve see a lot of things made a lot of different ways. So I never really try to figure how it was made until I have to take it apart and then I generally just go “Why the **** did then make it like this”?!?!?

Often I've also thought: what do they know which means that they did it that way.

 

[The Man]

With stuff.

The laws of thermodynamics:

1) You need stuff to make stuff.
2) Stuff gets lost in the cleaning process.
3) Eventually you're left with no stuff.

Yep, as a kid, hearing in war movies about bombing ball bearing factories, I always wondered "What was so important about ball bearings?". As a product designer and mechanical engineer I learned that (particularly percussion) ball bearings are the stuff that lets you make other stuff.


http://youtu.be/Hjsfs49SRbc?t=3m11s

 

[The Man]

Often I've also thought: what do they know which means that they did it that way.

Sometimes I get that too and a lot of times I can figure out why, but others there seems to be no indicative reason and it may just come down to the equipment the manufacture had on hand to produce it.

 

[jimbob]

Sometimes I get that too and a lot of times I can figure out why, but others there seems to be no indicative reason and it may just come down to the equipment the manufacture had on hand to produce it.

Industrial inertia explains a lot. And is a good reason. As is, "well they had already spent the capital on that equipment, which they could then use for this process despite the fact that nobody could justify buying it for that sole reason."

 

[bruto]

Back when I was working in an engineering lab there was a cartoon that would show up in some of the publication from time to time. It started with “What the customer wanted” and a drawing clearly of an unpowered push lawnmower. Then came something like “What drafting drew up” and the image of powered push mower. Then something like “What marketing wants to sell” and a riding mower. Further down the line with other inputs and changes, eventually it ends with “What was made” and the drawing of a helicopter. I generally think back to that, rather than small logical steps, when I see a lot of things.

Having worked in production for almost 40 years I’ve see a lot of things made a lot of different ways. So I never really try to figure how it was made until I have to take it apart and then I generally just go “Why the **** did then make it like this”?!?!?

Long ago there was a similar series with a tire swing as the starting point. It's gone through many changes, but this is more or less the original version:

http://www.effectiveeng.com/Tire_Swing.gif

 

[The Man]

Long ago there was a similar series with a tire swing as the starting point. It's gone through many changes, but this is more or less the original version:

http://www.effectiveeng.com/Tire_Swing.gif

Yep, I remember that one too, but I always liked the lawnmower to helicopter one better.

Another one at the time (as an advertisement) was "Our lab..." showing a picture of a highly technical laboratory then "Their lab..." showing a Labrador retriever giving a WTF look. My boss, at the time, copied that using pictures of our laboratory facilities in the first and the same image of the Labrador in the second for some promotional literature. As if our customers didn't get the same publications as us.

 

[Mark6]

How come nobody outside the crazy world of engineers knows any engineers? Why aren't these people the most famous superstars in society?

I would not be surprised if in places like India, China and South Korea, they ARE famous.

To hold nerds and geeks in contempt (at least compared to rock stars) is very much a First World luxury. Only people who grew up with "things" working, and naturally expect "things" to work can afford it. Societies which are mostly illiterate, or were illiterate within living memory, understand who makes things work and brings in the money. In South Korean schools the best math students are class heroes, not ostracized dweebs. And college women cling to budding engineers the way in US they do to football players.

In my more cynical moments, I think this is the way any global power dies. They are built by body sweat and skull sweat, but few generations after they are built, people start taking things for granted, and turn up their nose at those who excel at skull sweat. And some previously irrelevant power, which understands the value of skull sweat, leaps ahead.

 

[LongFuzzy]

Yep, engineers get all the credit. But it's the techs that actually make the stuff, after fixing the engineers mistakes.

 

[The Man]

Yep, engineers get all the credit. But it's the techs that actually make the stuff, after fixing the engineers mistakes.

Not to mention I get more money as a tech than I did as an engineer, far less stress, and more time to do things like post here because the stuff was engineered fixed so well. I do miss designing and making stuff though.

 

[anglolawyer]

I would not be surprised if in places like India, China and South Korea, they ARE famous.

To hold nerds and geeks in contempt (at least compared to rock stars) is very much a First World luxury. Only people who grew up with "things" working, and naturally expect "things" to work can afford it. Societies which are mostly illiterate, or were illiterate within living memory, understand who makes things work and brings in the money. In South Korean schools the best math students are class heroes, not ostracized dweebs. And college women cling to budding engineers the way in US they do to football players.

In my more cynical moments, I think this is the way any global power dies. They are built by body sweat and skull sweat, but few generations after they are built, people start taking things for granted, and turn up their nose at those who excel at skull sweat. And some previously irrelevant power, which understands the value of skull sweat, leaps ahead.

Your last paragraph must be true, almost axiomatically.

 

[Delvo]

I get more money as a tech than I did as an engineer...

How? That goes against what I've gathered before.

I do miss designing and making stuff though.

What does a "tech" do that isn't designing/making stuff?

 

[The Man]

How? That goes against what I've gathered before.

Depends on the industry and the company, some just tend to pay more. I went from designing transport cases for a small company. Some for military applications, I even designed a series of three cases used in (or at least they were) the three Seawolf submarines that were built. Now I service the robotics of the automated material handling systems in chip FABs for a large company. So from a small company in a niche industry to a large company helping to make stuff that gets used everywhere.

What does a "tech" do that isn't designing/making stuff?

Technicians generally Fix, install and maintain stuff.

 

[CapelDodger]

Industrial inertia explains a lot. And is a good reason. As is, "well they had already spent the capital on that equipment, which they could then use for this process despite the fact that nobody could justify buying it for that sole reason."

With a few modifications you could apply that to some aspects of evolution.

 

[tsig]

Engineers are simpletons when it comes to "how are things made?" If you want to tackle a tough one, figure out how babies are made. In detail.

Sounds like your daddy sadly neglected your education.

 

[zooterkin]

How? That goes against what I've gathered before.

It certainly applied to software; I moved from writing it to supporting it, and got an immediate increase in grade and a company car (fifteen years ago, now). I also still have a job, while there are no programmers left with the company in this country.

 

[marplots]

Sounds like your daddy sadly neglected your education.

He did. We got as far as transposons, but then new info about epi-genetics came out and he lost it. Which is too bad, as he never got to explain why the inner cell mass of the blastocyst gets a specific orientation to the uterus at the time of implantation, and the correlation with later orientation of the fetal membranes and chorioallantoic placenta.

 

[Blue Bubble]

It's also worth mentioning The Design of Everyday Things^WP, by Donald Norman^WP.

 

[Jrrarglblarg]

He did. We got as far as transposons, but then new info about epi-genetics came out and he lost it. Which is too bad, as he never got to explain why the inner cell mass of the blastocyst gets a specific orientation to the uterus at the time of implantation, and the correlation with later orientation of the fetal membranes and chorioallantoic placenta.

Smartypants.

 

[The Don]

The first I heard of Brunel was several years ago from a wonderful documentary which was narrated by Jeremy Clarkson. It is worth a look if you are into Brunel. It was part of series about the greatest Britons of all time. I believe that Brunel finished about 3rd or 4th on the list.

2nd, due in part to Clarkson's impassioned pleas (an illustrating how different the buffoonish Clarkson character on Top Gear is from the Jeremy Clarkson who makes interesting documentaries).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/100_Greatest_Britons

There's a pub in Bristol called the Reckless Engineer which commemorates Brunel's first trip across the Avon Gorge in a basket.